When I found out that B J Novak, of The Office fame, had written a children’s book, I had to get my hands on it. And quickly. I had my preconceptions about a children’s book with no pictures, would it be boring? Would it hold their attention like a picture book does? I couldn’t have been more wrong. BJ Novak’s book is pure genius.

The Author

B J (Benjamin Joseph) Novak is a household name amongst most comedy fans. He has starred in many big screen films including Saving Mr Banks and The Internship, but older children may recognise his voice from The Smurfs film. He is also well-known for starring in, writing and producing the Emmy Award-winning comedy, The Office.
He is a master of many talents; an author; an actor; and a producer.

The Book

This book is perfect for introducing fun into your one-on-one reading time with your children. It contains no pictures, as the title suggests, but it is full of imagery and creativity.

The cover is white with a large black serif font. It really does look boring. But as the pages turn, the odd emphasised word changes colour, font, and size, and these words are the words that stand out to your young readers; Boo Boo Butt being one of my favourites.

The book contains what few books do, the spirit of engagement. Most books you read to your child and they listen. This book involves them; it makes them laugh; they will know it by heart after a few read-throughs because it captures their imagination and their humour. And it gives them the opportunity to laugh at their reader, who inadvertently has become the ‘butt’ of all the jokes!

As long as you are prepared to play the fool for your children (which parent isn’t?!), this book will be a go-to book in your household for many years.

The Plot

The book begins by confirming what we’re all thinking; that a book with no pictures must be boring and serious. But it is quickly pointed out that a book full of words can be fun, because the reader has to read all of the words, no matter what they might say!

It goes on to continuously poke fun at the narrator, the person reading the book aloud. It is full of silly words and mischievous ideas, including singing songs, calling yourself funny names and just generally poking fun at the adult reading the book.

Instead of talking about the story and the pictures, it creates an opportunity to talk about the words: Is that a real word? Why is that word so funny? What if I use this voice to say this word? (It’s all in the delivery!)

The Characters

The main character in this book is YOU! However, you may be accompanied along the way by a Robot Monkey and a hippo named Boo Boo Butt.

Anything else?

As much as this book holds the entertainment factor, it’s also a good tool to introduce children to the power of the written word. It’s no literary work of art, but it shows children the enormity of what you can do with a few choice words.